Category: Books

Posted in Books, reviews, Science fiction, Uncategorized

Exploring Nina Munteanu’s Gaia’s Revolution – a book review.

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is a hard science fiction novel that has great potential to go down as a book many will remember in the future. The book follows the Vogel brothers, Damien and Eric, as they clash about ideas, morals, revolutions, and their own family. The Vogel brothers go from simple arguments over climate change to political intrigue and opposing factions as the world violently heaves around them, forever changed by their own actions and the influence they wield. As other characters are introduced to the lives of the Vogel brothers and their futures unfold, we are given a dramatic story of family betrayal, chaos, and sex, a kuddelmuddel even.

Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is an interesting read. Admittedly, the book starts off a bit slow with a lot of explanation of the past of the brothers and their family. Interesting as it is, there is a lot to take in all at once and, admittedly, it comes off as dry. The information could be added later in the book as needed, but it is not all bad and serves a purpose. Fortunately, the first couple of chapters pass quickly, and we are soon brought into the story. With the addition of new characters comes more interaction and drama, which leads to more story. After we get through the exposition of the first chapters, the story picks up, and we are thrown headfirst into the Vogel brothers’ influence on the human race and the world around it.

While this is certainly a hard science fiction book about climate change, it manages to avoid coming off as preachy and demanding. It gives us a firm understanding of the literally Earth-shattering possibilities and the influences that drastic change (good or bad) can have on the environment and lifeforms of the planet. It may still come off as preachy to some readers who are not interested in the facts presented. In all honesty, if you have the opinion that the world is fine the way it is, then this is not the book for you. Also, if sexual encounters offend you, you may not want to pick it up either. However, for many, this is a book that deserves the utmost attention.

I will be revisiting this book again in the future, I believe, with a deeper look at it.

Posted in Books, Fantasy

I Know You – Book review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

I Know You by Russel Goven is an exciting story following a young woman as she learns to cope with lost love, new love, and the complications of time travel after a rather nasty argument and a bump on the head! Eilidh (by the way, that’s pronounced ‘aley’ for my fellow American English speakers. And yes, that is a bit of a joke regarding this book.) was getting ready to attend university with her boyfriend when he disclosed he’s been making other plans behind her back to go to another university, not only that, it seems he’s seeing one of her alleged best friends! This drama results in the firey-blooded Eilidh trying to strike the jerk and being knocked back, only to bump her head. While medical professionals are seeing her, she’s traveling back to the 80s.. and a different country! But is it just a dream? Oh, don’t worry; things only get even stranger from there!

As much as I like to read, I have a busy life, so I usually only read a certain amount each day. However, I had to put a bit of time aside with this book because I was just so interested in what would happen. The story was exciting, seeing Eilidh move through different scenarios and using the experiences to guide what she wants to do with her life, from being a heartbroken girl to a tense decider of her destiny. At first, some of her reactions were excessive. Then I took a moment to think about the breakups I had when I was of college age and realized, no, that seems about on par for girls at the peak of adolescence, trying to figure out adult relationships. While Eilidh is the main character of this book, and it is told in a first-person perspective, the book does, at times, sneak into the perspective of other people, and it can be a tad confusing at first. That is probably my only complaint.

Pick up this one if you want an interesting original concept to read this summer.

Posted in Books, Crime, Review, Thriller

Paperboy – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Paperboy: A Dylan Tomassi Novel is the first novel in Dan Romanello’s Dylan Tomassi series. This novel covers the early years of Dylan, starting with his childhood, sliding through his high school and college years, and ending in his thirties. The author gives us a good chunk of Dylan’s life to learn about him, his friends, and his family long before the real action begins in the books.

So I’ll be honest upfront. I found the first chapter of Paperboy to be slow, and it was not till the second chapter that I started to get into the book. However, I am not one to give up on a book; even if I find the first chapter slow, I work through it to finish it. More so when it’s a review copy, an author or their managers have gone out of their way to provide. So, Paperboy does get more interesting as Dylan’s story starts to work itself out. Aside from what I felt to be a slow start, I should state that there are implied sexual situations in this novel, so if you are uncomfortable with that, you should avoid it.

Now on to some more entertaining aspects. Even beyond Dylan, the main character, the characters are well-created with personalities and responses that come off as real people. In addition, the story progression, while drawn out, is entertaining. I hope, however, that the next novel will have more excitement. Yes, I enjoyed this one enough to read the next. While I may complain about the pacing, in the end, we are given an excellent story with well-crafted characters that pull you in, even if it takes a couple of chapters to do it.

Posted in Books, Children, Review

Aqua Paws – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Aqua Paws by Patricia Allieri and Stella Maris is an adorable children’s book following Aqua Paws, the titular character, as he goes snorkeling with his turtle friend Purple Beak to explore the water below as well as pick up trash! Unfortunately, Aqua Paws runs into some trouble while he explores under the water. Like many sea animals, the poor kitty gets caught in plastic soda rings. Thankfully he’s helped by an unlikely new friend and can escape and get back to the surface! A good thing as a kitty cat can only hold its breath for so long.

This fully illustrated children’s book is the perfect length to keep small children interested in the pictures and tale. The artwork is bright and inviting, and the scary scenes are colorful enough to draw in even the most rambunctious children. Like many children’s books, the story itself is a cautionary tale describing only one instance of what can happen with human waste in the sea. While it’s unlikely to find a snorkeling kitten in the ocean, plenty of sea animals can get stuck in our trash. Auqa Paws presses on the importance of proper waste management.

At the end of the book are two additional aspects that I found beneficial. First, the author has provided us with a list of ways to safely enjoy our sea visits and instructions on how to make your own toilet paper roll crab! I might make one next time I have a loose toilet paper roll!

Posted in Books, Horror, Short Stories

Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories by El. T. Fullah is an unfortunately short but exhilarating trip through quick stories that cover a range of topics from martyrdom to fullmoon cannibal cult spiders. Yes, that’s some far-ranging topics to cover in a book of short stories, but there is differently something in this array of horror to suit even the pickiest of horror consumers.

The length of this book is small, a whole 49 pages. These stories are less short stories and more flash fiction. Flash fiction is not a general reader popular term. Referring to these quick and entertaining works as short stories makes sense due to these being horror stories and some pretty adult content. You may not want to let your kids near this one. Some of the topics will make you uncomfortable. Others may make you question people around you. By the way, “A Village With Only Men” made me laugh, but others might get uncomfortable.

As said in the first paragraph, this book is, unfortunately, short. It took me about an hour to read at a leisurely pace. This is my only complaint about Kali Ma. I hope the author will give us more of these, as I would certainly enjoy reading more of their work, as I am sure many others would.

Posted in Artist, Books, Business, Games, Interview, Reviews, Stories, Tech, Uncategorized, Updates

CONVENTION SURPRISES~!

Posted on by Tawny Molina

As most of you know, I attend a few conventions every year. Central Florida Comic Con here in my home state is always a blast. And I’ll be hitting up Atlanta twice this year for the usual MomoCon and an additional DragonCon! (Don’t worry, I’ll talk about you all as you get closer.) But this year, I’m going to be able to add an exhilarating dash to a higher altitude and a different time zone. Drumroll please… (Yes, this is text. Just work with me here, guys!)

FAN EXPO DENVER!
Website here: https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/

Believe it or not, actually not a surprise, but I heard about this delightfully geeky gathering from a streamer and fellow nerdy friend PlayingWithRemy. Who will also be visiting this con. I am looking forward to a local showing me some good food. (YOU KNOW WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU REMY!)

Now, as a lifelong east coaster, I never considered going to another timezone for a con but let’s be honest, the number of celebrities coming to this con is mindblowing. You can find the complete list on the site at the link below, but I am excited!
https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/celebrities/

I am particularly hyped about Michael Dorn, Bonnie Wright, and Christina Ricci I hope I can get to speak to them. And maybe get my husband a few autographs while he pouts from states away.

I am also looking forward to taking some walks through the exhibition halls. I am a frequent buyer of the same products over and over here at home. I am excited to see what people have to offer in Colorado.

I’ll share more and more as we get closer to this convention. There is so much going on!

Also, I hate to admit this, but I have been spelling Denver wrong forever.

Posted in Audiobooks, Books, Mystery, Thriller

Fool Her Once – Audiobook Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm is an exciting thriller about a reporter, Jenna, who scores the story of her life at the beginning of her career. She had intended to interview the girlfriend of a long-deceased serial killer in hopes of finding out what the woman had seen in him. Instead, she ends up digging up a whole new story when she finds out the woman had a son with the serial killer. As expected, as the story comes out and the truth about the past of the woman and her now adult son comes out, the lives of the story subjects are quickly ruined, sending their lives into chaos as Jenna goes back to her own life with only a bit of knowledge of the drama she caused. Twenty years later, Jenna has been married, has a family, and settled in a lovely New England home with her husband and daughter, where they run a comfortable little coastal inn. However, she has discovered that the drama she induced years ago will return quickly to haunt her.

Fool Her Once, as stated above, is an exciting thriller. This fast-paced story kept me interested with turns I did not see coming. Sure, I could guess a few ending aspects, but that did not detract from the thrills of discovering how it happened! This book has a non-linear story. The author naturally leads us through the drama of the modern-day personal conflict of the characters but also takes the time to bring us back to the moments of the past that were essential to the lead-up. This allows us a full view of the entire story. Seeing the issues of the past play out gives us a much clearer picture than we would get with simple explanations from characters. Speaking of characters, we are given well-rounded, deep-thinking individuals whose mental illnesses and paranoia are so realistic I found myself wondering who the real antagonist of this story was.

I also listened to the Fool Her Once audiobook, which was read by Rachel Fulginiti, whose fantastic voice acting brings life to each character. I suggest looking at the audiobook if you plan to enjoy Fool Her Once.

/related

Posted in Books, Dystopian, Horror, Science fiction

Payback – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

(Warning this review contains the use of one curse word.)

Payback by Michael Botur is the second book in the Lockdownland series. This gritty thriller follows Eden Shepherd as she does her best to recover from not only being in the dreadful survival dome of Moneyland and than being imprisoned after a rough kangaroo court session. Eden is finally free. Though not really. While she was locked away, most of the world seems to have finally downloaded, the singularity happened years ago, and humanity has finally given in and accepted the virtual life. Eden wants to find her dad and settle somewhere with her family naturally, but that goes differently than planned.

Now I am going to be honest upfront. This book, and the series in general, is not for the weak of the heart. If you are offended by anything of a dark nature, skip this series entirely. Michael Botur’s work is not for you. However, if you enjoy exploring the gritty, dark, and disgusting aspects of the human soul, you are in for a real treat. This book uses a lot of foul language and has some simple rough descriptions of bodily functions, violence, and implications of sex. What one would expect from the end of humanity as a mother tries to survive it with her daughter. This book also contains a few ‘holy fuck’ moments. Why the use of a curse word here? Because honestly, that is the best way I can describe it. I won’t tell you what it is, but I had to put the book down, refill my drink and take a few moments regarding what I just read. If you have read this book, you know exactly what I am talking about.

So, with descriptions and warnings out of the way, is this book worth picking up? Well, as long as you consider what I told you above, I suggest this novel. You are in for a roller coaster of a ride. Please pick it up. You will not regret it.

Posted in Books, History, Review

Race Against Time – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Sometimes I get a book to read that I think will be a cute little feel-good story that will make my miserable day feel better. With that in mind, I agreed to read and review Race Against Time by Claire Eckard and the mother and daughter team that the book covers, Natalie and Kyla Law. The book is also about a pony named Flash, but obviously, ponies do not have hands and can not write books. At least from my limited knowledge of horses, I do not believe so.

Race Against Time follows Kyla and Flash the Pony as Kyla strives to turn a cute but troubled hackney pony into a solid riding horse. In the process, she makes a best friend, and eventually, the two can take on endurance racing, which is much less racing and much more surviving on challenging horse trails. While some race aspects are involved in the sport, such as placing and trophies, the majority of it is just a sport full of super awesome people. These extraordinary people, the Laws, and their friends are wonderfully portrayed in this book as we are given details of the emotional and physical journies.

Why should you read this excellent book about the story of a young girl, her pony, and human endurance, stubbornness, and faith? Because it is a cute and sweet story that will make you feel good at the end of the day when you feel like you just slogged yourself through the Tevis cup of life. Plus, Flash is adorable in his pictures.